Building Safety Act implementation on October 1st 2023: New regulations will “rebuild trust” in design & construction
Two new sets of regulations are set to “fundamentally reform the way that design and construction appointments are made,” says the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).
The new regulations for Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs) and the major changes to the Building Regulations will enable further elements of the Building Safety Act to be fully implemented in England on 1 October 2023.
What are the changes to Building Regs?
Building Regulations (Amendments etc) (England) Regulations 2023 introduce new duty-holder and competence requirements for both practitioners and clients.
- Part 2A includes 17 new regulations covering the duties, competence and behaviour of clients, designers and contractors.
- Part 2A creates the new roles and duties of the principal designer and contractor which apply to all buildings.
New regulations for Higher Risk Buildings
Those responsible for managing an occupied HRB or for managing building work in or to create a new HRB, will also need to pay heed to two new sets of regulations:
- The Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (England) Regulations 2023, which sets out the new building control system for HRBs.
- The Higher-Risk Buildings (Management of Safety Risks etc) (England) Regulations 2023 cover aspects of the operational management of all HRBs in occupation.
The regulations revise the rules for deposit of plans and further embed energy related procedures into UK law. They also strengthen Regulation 38 on the provision of fire safety information, which applies to all building work.
CIBSE, which is the professional body that exists to support built environment professionals in the pursuit of excellence, welcomes the new regulations. It says it would expect those who are competent and comply with the Building Regulations to adapt to the changes without too much difficulty. The organisation says it “welcomes” the publication of new regulations.
“These reforms are another welcome step on the road to rebuilding trust in the construction and operation of all our building stock following the Grenfell tragedy and another step on the road to building a safer future,” CIBSE says in its August 2023 press statement.
For further information from CIBSE on the new regulations visit:
- https://www.cibsejournal.com/technical/building-regulations-updates-competence-and-compliance/
- https://www.cibsejournal.com/technical/building-regulations-update-duties-and-competence/
A word from Tamlite
Tamlite Lighting has frequently called on the industry to ‘seize the opportunity for change’ in order to ensure building safety is a top priority. As a leading lighting manufacturer, we see it as vital that we show leadership in raising awareness of the scope and importance of the Building Safety Bill, particularly when it comes to emergency lighting specification. Given the essential role it plays in providing a clear exit path and vital time for the safe passage of occupants evacuating a building in the event of a fire, it would be easy to assume that it is a de-facto priority. Regrettably, it has often been an area that has fallen victim to spec-breaking and needless ‘economy’.
More than ever, making the case for the long-term benefits of higher-end solutions is going to be critical – we can no longer aim for minimum compliance to get the job done. To ensure change is embraced throughout the life cycle of a building, we will continue to work hard to communicate the case for quality, and we will always help end users see the added value in our higher-specification products and solutions
Tamlite offers a range of products within all sectors of the lighting (including emergency lighting) and Fire Alarm market to provide best value, best solution and a complete package for designers & specifiers, architects and installers throughout the UK and Ireland.
